Category: Roofing Guides

Every time a big storm hits the Miami Valley, the knocks on doors start. Some come from good local companies. Others come from out-of-town crews who follow storms from state to state, collect insurance money, and are gone before problems show up. Here’s how to tell the difference and choose a roofer you can trust.

Ohio Doesn’t License Roofers Statewide

Many homeowners are surprised to learn that Ohio has no state-level roofing license. Some cities require contractors to register locally, but in much of the state, almost anyone can call themselves a roofer. That puts the checking up to you. Here’s what to verify:

• Business registration. Look the company up with the Ohio Secretary of State at ohiosos.gov.
• Insurance. Ask for proof of general liability coverage and an Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation certificate. If an uninsured worker is hurt on your property, you don’t want that to become your problem.
• A local address and track record. How long have they been in business here? Can they show you roofs they’ve done nearby?
• Reviews and BBB standing. Read Google reviews, especially the detailed ones, and check the company at bbb.org.
• Manufacturer certification. Shingle makers train and certify contractors, and certified installers can offer stronger warranties. Freedom Builders is a CertainTeed SELECT ShingleMaster™, CertainTeed’s top installer credential.

Red Flags of a Storm Chaser

• They showed up uninvited right after a storm and want to get on your roof immediately
• They pressure you to sign today, or say the “deal” ends when they leave
• They offer to waive or pay your insurance deductible, or promise a “free roof”
• They want full payment, or a large cash payment, before work begins
• They have no local office, out-of-state plates, or only a cell phone number
• They ask you to sign something you don’t understand, or won’t put the scope and price in writing

On the deductible: it’s your responsibility under your policy. A contractor can only “cover” it by cutting corners or inflating what your insurer is billed, and inflating a claim can be insurance fraud. Read more in our guide to roof insurance claims in Ohio.

Questions to Ask Before You Sign

1. How long have you been in business in this area?
2. Can I see proof of liability insurance and workers’ comp?
3. Will you tear off all the old layers, or install over them?
4. What shingle line will you use, and what manufacturer warranty comes with it?
5. What does your own workmanship warranty cover, and for how long?
6. How do you price replacement decking if you find rot?
7. Who will be my point of contact during the job?
8. Will you meet my insurance adjuster, if this is a claim?

Get Everything in Writing

Before work starts, you should have a written contract that lists the scope of work, materials, price, payment schedule, start and completion expectations, and warranties. A reasonable deposit is normal. Paying in full before the work is done is not. Get more than one estimate, and compare them line by line, not just on price. Our roof cost guide lists what a complete quote should include.

If you suspect contractor fraud, you can report it to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office at ohioattorneygeneral.gov.

A Local Roofer That Will Still Be Here

Freedom Builders Roofing & Exteriors has served the Miami Valley since 2019. We’re BBB Accredited, rated 5.0 stars from more than 170 Google reviews, and every job comes with our own 5-year workmanship warranty on top of CertainTeed’s manufacturer coverage. We’ll inspect your roof for free, show you photos of what we find, and never pressure you to sign.

A leak or a few missing shingles doesn’t automatically mean you need a whole new roof. But patching a roof that’s at the end of its life just delays the inevitable, and sometimes costs more in the long run. Here’s how to tell which situation you’re in.

How Long Do Roofs Last in Ohio?

Lifespan depends on the material, the quality of the installation and the weather it faces. Typical ranges:

• 3-tab asphalt shingles: roughly 15 to 20 years, sometimes less
• Architectural asphalt shingles: roughly 20 to 30 years
• Metal roofing: 40 years or more

Ohio weather is tough on roofs. Hail and windstorms in spring and summer, hot summer sun, and freeze-thaw cycles all winter long wear shingles out faster than a mild climate would. Poor attic ventilation shortens a roof’s life too, because trapped heat and moisture age the shingles from underneath.

Warning Signs Your Roof Is Wearing Out

You can spot many of these from the ground or from inside your attic. Never climb onto your roof yourself.

• Granules in your gutters or at the downspouts. Shingles shed their protective granules as they age.
• Curling or cupping shingles. Edges turning up or the middle sinking down are classic signs of age and heat damage.
• Cracked, creased or missing shingles, especially after a windstorm.
• Dark streaks or moss. Streaks are usually algae and mostly cosmetic, but moss holds moisture against the roof.
• Sagging areas, which can mean the decking underneath is soft or rotted.
• Water stains on ceilings or daylight in the attic.
• Neighbors replacing their roofs. Homes built around the same time with the same materials tend to wear out together, and a storm that damaged their roofs may have damaged yours.

When a Repair Makes Sense

• The roof is relatively young and the rest of it is in good shape
• Damage is limited to one area, like a few shingles blown off a ridge
• The leak comes from failed flashing around a chimney, vent or skylight, which is a common and very fixable problem

Our roof repair team fixes leaks, missing shingles and failed flashing so they don’t come back.

When It’s Time to Replace

• The roof is near or past the typical lifespan for its material
• Damage or wear is spread across the whole roof, not one spot
• You’ve had several repairs in the past few years and new leaks keep appearing
• The decking is soft in multiple places
• Hail damaged the whole roof and your insurer has approved a replacement

Can You Just Put New Shingles Over the Old Ones?

Building codes generally allow one layer of new shingles over one existing layer, and it’s cheaper up front. We don’t recommend it. A second layer adds weight, hides soft decking and failed flashing, traps heat that shortens the new shingles’ life, and can affect manufacturer warranty coverage. A full tear-off replacement lets us inspect the deck, replace damaged wood, and install the roof as a complete system.

Not Sure? Get a Free, Honest Inspection

We’ll inspect your roof, gutters and siding at no cost, show you photos of what we find, and tell you whether a repair will do the job. If there’s no real damage, we’ll tell you that too. Wondering what a replacement would cost? See our Dayton roof cost guide.

After a hailstorm rolls through the Miami Valley, our phones light up with the same question: will my insurance pay for a new roof? Often the answer is yes, but how much it pays depends on what caused the damage and what kind of policy you have. Here’s a plain-language guide for Ohio homeowners.

This is general information, not legal or insurance advice. Your policy wording is what counts, so read it and talk with your agent about your specific coverage.

What’s Usually Covered, and What Isn’t

The Ohio Department of Insurance notes that damage from hail, wind, lightning and tornadoes is generally covered by a standard homeowners policy once your deductible is met. That’s the key distinction: insurance covers sudden damage from a covered event, not a roof that has simply worn out.

• Usually covered: hail damage, shingles torn off or creased by wind, a tree or limb falling on the roof, damage from a tornado
• Usually not covered: age and normal wear, granule loss from weathering, leaks caused by poor maintenance or a bad installation

That’s why a professional inspection matters. An experienced inspector can tell the difference between storm damage and ordinary aging, and document it in a way an adjuster recognizes.

Replacement Cost vs. Actual Cash Value

This one detail in your policy has the biggest effect on what you’ll be paid.

• Replacement cost value (RCV) pays what it costs to put on a comparable new roof, minus your deductible. Age doesn’t reduce the payout.
• Actual cash value (ACV) pays what your old roof was worth at the time of the storm: the replacement cost minus depreciation for age and wear, minus your deductible.

Here’s a simple example. Say a new roof costs $12,000 and your deductible is $1,000. With replacement cost coverage, you’d receive about $11,000. With actual cash value coverage on a roof that’s 15 years old, the insurer might depreciate it by more than half, so you might receive something closer to $4,000 to $5,000 after the deductible. Same storm, same roof, very different result.

Two more things to know:

• Replacement cost is often paid in two checks. Many insurers pay the actual cash value first, then release the withheld depreciation once the work is finished and they receive the final invoice.
• Some policies treat the roof differently. A growing number of policies include a roof endorsement that pays actual cash value on the roof even if the rest of the house is covered at replacement cost. Check your declarations page or ask your agent.

Your Deductible Is Yours to Pay

Your deductible may be a flat dollar amount, or some policies use a separate wind and hail deductible set as a percentage of your home’s insured value. Either way, it’s your responsibility. If a contractor offers to “cover” or “waive” your deductible, treat it as a red flag: the only ways to do that are cutting corners on your roof or inflating the bill your insurer sees, and inflating a claim can be insurance fraud. Many states have outlawed the practice outright.

How a Roof Claim Works, Step by Step

1. Stay safe and prevent more damage. If water is coming in, cover what you can and keep receipts for any emergency repairs.
2. Document everything. Take photos and video of damage inside and out, with dates.
3. Get a free inspection. A roofer can confirm whether there’s real storm damage before you file, so you don’t open a claim for nothing.
4. File promptly. Most policies have deadlines for reporting damage, so contact your insurer or agent as soon as you reasonably can.
5. Meet the adjuster. The insurer sends an adjuster to inspect. Having your roofer there helps make sure nothing gets missed, including gutters, vents and siding.
6. Review the estimate. If something was missed or underpriced, your contractor can document it and request a supplement.
7. Complete the work and close out the claim. Once the roof is done, the final invoice goes to the insurer so any withheld depreciation can be released.

Where to Get Help

If you have questions about your policy or a dispute with your insurer, the Ohio Department of Insurance helps consumers at 1-800-686-1300 and insurance.ohio.gov.

For the roof itself, that’s where we come in. Before starting Freedom Builders, members of our team worked as insurance adjusters and inspection techs, so we know what adjusters need to see. We inspect for free, document the damage with photos, and meet your adjuster on site. Learn more about our storm claim process, or read what a new roof costs in the Dayton area.

It’s the first question almost every homeowner asks us, and the honest answer is: it depends on your roof. But “it depends” isn’t much help when you’re trying to budget, so here’s what a new roof typically costs in the Dayton area in 2026, what drives that number up or down, and how to tell whether the quotes in front of you are actually comparable.

The Short Answer

Published 2026 cost guides put a typical Ohio roof replacement with architectural asphalt shingles somewhere around $6,500 to $13,000, with city-level estimates for larger metro areas like Columbus and Cincinnati running higher, roughly $11,000 to $16,000 for an average-size home. Most Miami Valley homes fall somewhere in that overall range. Larger, steeper or more complicated roofs can cost more, and metal roofing typically runs about twice as much per square foot as asphalt shingles.

The only number that really matters is the one for your roof, which is why we start every project with a free inspection and written estimate.

How Roofers Measure Your Roof

Roofers price by the square, which is 100 square feet of roof surface. Your roof’s area is always bigger than your home’s floor area because of the pitch and the overhangs, so a 1,800-square-foot house might have 22 to 28 squares of roof depending on its shape. When you compare quotes, check that each contractor measured roughly the same number of squares.

What Drives the Price Up or Down

Size and steepness

More squares means more material and labor. Steep roofs also take longer and need extra safety equipment, so a steep two-story home will cost more per square than a low ranch.

Complexity

Every valley, dormer, chimney, skylight and wall intersection needs flashing and careful cutting. A simple gable roof goes on much faster than a roof with six facets and two chimneys, like many homes in Oakwood or Mason.

How many layers come off

Plenty of older Miami Valley homes have two layers of shingles. Tearing off and disposing of a second layer adds labor and dumpster weight.

The condition of the decking

Nobody knows for sure how much of the wood deck is soft or rotted until the old shingles are off. Good contractors list a per-sheet price for decking replacement in the estimate so there are no surprises.

The shingle you choose

• 3-tab shingles are the cheapest, but they’re thinner, shorter-lived and less wind-resistant. Few homeowners choose them anymore.
• Architectural shingles are the standard choice today: thicker, longer-lasting and better looking for a modest price increase.
• Designer and impact-resistant shingles cost more but can mimic slate or shakes, or stand up better to hail.
• Metal roofing has the highest upfront cost of the common options but can last for decades.

Ventilation and extras

Correcting poor attic ventilation, adding ice-and-water protection, and replacing gutters at the same time all add cost, but they’re also what separates a roof that lasts from one that fails early.

If the Damage Came From a Storm

If hail or wind damaged your roof, your homeowners insurance may cover most of the cost, and your out-of-pocket expense could be closer to your deductible. How much your policy pays depends on whether it covers replacement cost or actual cash value, which we explain in our guide to insurance and roof replacement in Ohio. Our storm damage team can inspect your roof for free and tell you honestly whether there’s damage worth claiming.

How to Compare Roofing Quotes

The lowest bid often looks cheapest because it leaves things out. Before you compare prices, make sure each quote spells out:

• The exact shingle brand and product line
• Tear-off of all existing layers, plus disposal and cleanup
• Underlayment, plus ice-and-water protection at eaves and valleys
• New flashing, drip edge and pipe boots, not reused ones
• Ventilation changes, if any are needed
• The price per sheet for any decking replacement
• The manufacturer warranty and the contractor’s own workmanship warranty

As a CertainTeed SELECT ShingleMaster™, we can offer CertainTeed’s strongest warranty coverage, and every job also includes our own 5-year workmanship warranty.

Paying for a New Roof

A new roof is a big expense, but you don’t have to pay for it all at once. We offer financing on every project, with options for credit scores from 550 up to prime, 12–24 month same-as-cash terms, and HELOC options.

Get a Real Number for Your Roof

Cost guides are a starting point. A free inspection gives you a written estimate based on your actual roof, with photos of what we found. We serve Dayton, Kettering, Centerville, Beavercreek, Huber Heights and the rest of the Miami Valley.